Tiger Woods is still recovering from his highly publicized rollover car accident on Feb. 23. After intensive surgeries, the golf pro is now in rigorous rehab, trying to regain strength and mobility in the leg that was seriously injured in the accident. Woods just did his first interview since the car crash, and got candid about what his goals are for his recovery. Read on to see what the golfer has to say about his future on and off the green.
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Tiger Woods is focused on being able to walk on his own, not his golf career.
ShutterstockAs Woods has been recovering from his accident, his fans have been anxiously waiting to see if he'll be able to return to golfing. However, Woods' main focus at the moment is simply being able to walk again. In an interview with Golf Digest, he dodged a question about playing golf again, saying, "My physical therapy has been keeping me busy. I do my routines every day and am focused on my number one goal right now: walking on my own." Woods said he's "taking it one step at a time." Per Golf Digest, it remains unclear if Woods will have to undergo any additional procedures, or if he can ever expect to regain full mobility and strength in the injured leg.
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The car accident required multiple surgeries.
ShutterstockLos Angles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva told The New York Times that Woods was driving between 84 to 87 mph in a 45 mph zone when he lost control of the vehicle, causing him to drive across a median and hit the curb on the opposite side of the road. The vehicle then hit a tree at an estimated 75 mph, which sent it airborne.
Anish Mahajan, MD, chief medical officer at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, said in a statement that Woods' injuries were comminuted open fractures to both his tibia and fibula bones in his right leg, injuries to his ankle and foot, and the muscle and soft tissue in his leg. Mahajan said Woods' surgeries included having a rod inserted into his tibia, screws for the foot and ankle injury, and "surgical release of the covering of the muscles to relieve pressure due to swelling" in the muscle and soft tissue of the leg.
Woods said his recovery has been the most painful experience of his life.
ShutterstockThe golf pro has sustained many injuries throughout his career, but he said nothing compared to the pain following the accident and the subsequent rehab. "This has been an entirely different animal," Woods told Golf Digest. "I understand more of the rehab processes because of my past injuries, but this was more painful than anything I have ever experienced."
Although Woods has to be careful with his injured leg while it's being rehabilitated, he's excited to be able to strengthen the rest of his body in the meantime. "It’s been nice having the ability to still stay strong and work out my upper body," he noted.
He's received a lot of support from fans and golf pros through the experience.
ShutterstockAs one of the most beloved golfers of all time, it's no surprise Woods has received a ton of well wishes from fans, but he told Golf Digest that the support extends beyond that. "It’s been incredible," Woods said. "I have had so much support from people both inside and outside of golf, which means so much to me and has helped tremendously." Golf Digest reports that a handful of PFA Tour players have visited Woods over the past couple of months.
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